Defendant given life sentence for role in murder

Alvaro Reyes, one of the men previously convicted for burning a woman to death over a drug debt, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.

Reyes was found guilty of Rosa Avina’s murder in 2007. The prosecution said Reyes lured Avina to a Turlock home, where she was kidnapped and taken to an orchard. Bound and gagged, Avina was doused with gasoline and set on fire. She was able to walk to a farmhouse about a mile away, before collapsing. She died a day later from her injuries.

Three other men have also been convicted for Avina’s murder. Luis Valencia and Urbano Ortega have also been given life sentences. Omar Cebrero is awaiting sentencing.